Tips and Tricks to Dress for Your Body Type

Let’s talk body types. It’s no secret that we’re not all shaped the same. Differences in body types have caused their fair share of dressing room trauma. After all, who hasn’t picked up a dress that looks great on the hanger but bombs once it’s on? With a few tips, those days can be over.

There are four main body types: hourglass, pear, apple, and rectangle. Each one has its perks and problems. Knowing your body type helps you know what will look best on you.

HOURGLASS

Hourglasses have curves in all the right places. This is the Wonder Woman, Marilyn Monroe body type, where the bust and hip measurements are roughly equal but the waist is narrow, forming an hourglass shape. If you’re an hourglass, wear tailored styles that show off your proportions.

What to wearFitted dresses, wrap dresses, tailored jackets, high-waisted pants, and fabrics with a bit of stretch.

What to avoidBoxy/shapeless styles, baggy cardigans, baby-doll dresses, and tunics.

If you’re tiny up top but your hips don’t lie, you are a pear. Pears are proportionally larger on the bottom and carry their weight in their hips and rear. While there are times when you might want to show off your Kim Kardashian butt, more often than not you want to draw attention upward to your waist and upper body.

What to avoidBrightly colored skirts and pants, tube-shaped dresses, skinny jeans, and thin fabrics that cling to your hips and butt.

Your perfect spring dressOur Audrey Party Dress has a full skirt, a cinched waist, and a textured, lacy top that draw the eye upward.

APPLE

With killer legs and a great bust, apples thrive in swimsuit season. However, they can appear top heavy, with wide shoulders and the tendency to gain weight around the middle. Unlike pears, you want to draw attention away from your waist and toward your long, slender limbs.

What to avoid
Waist belts and cinched waists, tightly fitted tops, bulky shoulder bags (carry a clutch or a purse with a long strap instead).

Your perfect spring dressShow off your legs in our effortless Amanda Day Dress. The v-neck and long, vertical zipper are flattering, and the bold pattern can disguise the lack of a defined waist.

RECTANGLE

The twig. The column. The ruler. If you are straight-up-and-down, welcome to life as a rectangle. The good news is that you can pull off a lot of styles that other body types can’t. Because the rectangle can appear boyish, it’s best to wear clothes that give the illusion of curves.

Remember, dressing for your body type is not just about covering up problem areas—it’s about showing off your best features! This spring, find the styles that make you dance in the dressing room.

About Kristin Hilton
Kristin is a wordsmith with a passion for food, nature and BBC dramas. She is a proud Oregonian at heart but has also lived in Utah, Germany, New York City and now L.A. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in Public Relations—and working briefly as a PR writer in the engineering industry--Kristin joined JustFab to head up the Communications team. When she’s not working, she enjoys watching foreign films with her husband, exploring SoCal beaches, and writing highly opinionated Yelp reviews.